Mattie Kelly Fine & Performing Arts Center Galleries at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville present two new art exhibitions from January 21 through March 14. Both exhibitions, as well as an Artists’ Reception on Saturday, February 8, are all free of charge and open to the public.

The Arts and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach, Inc. presents the 22nd Southeast Regional Juried Fine Arts Exhibition in the center’s McIlroy Gallery. This competitive exhibition perennially attracts top artistic talent from across the southeastern United States and showcases works in a variety of media. This year’s juror is Don Andrews, a nationally known watercolorist and workshop instructor. He is a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, and is a resident of Fairhope, Alabama.

The Holzhauer Gallery at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center will feature the 2013 ADSO Best-in-Show Winner, Heather A. Mitchell. The artist draws the inspiration for her work from the local wildlife, pets, and people of the Gulf Coast region. Her meticulous drawings in both traditional and experimental media translate the sites of the bayous, beaches, and public lands of Pensacola for the gallery space. Mitchell is an emerging artist -- a relative newcomer in the sphere of competitive exhibitions -- but previously worked in commercial arts and art education, and has garnered numerous awards in the four years since she began exhibiting.

An Artists’ Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held in the Galleries on Saturday, February 8th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Mattie Kelly Arts Center Gallery Hours are Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 90 minutes prior to most Mainstage and Sprint Theater events at the performing arts venue. The Mattie Kelly Arts Center Galleries are located in the Art Wing of the center, adjacent to the Mainstage Theater. The venue is easily accessible from Interstate 10 and Highways 85 and 285 on the Niceville campus of NWF State College, at 100 College Boulevard, just 13 miles from coastal communities via the new Mid-Bay Bridge connector road (exit onto Highway 285).

For information or directions, contact Gallery Director KC Williams at 729-6044 or visit the art center’s website at www.MattieKellyArtsCenter.org